Hint to save on your Air Conditioning/Electric Bills. (Phoenix: allergens, stores)

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

Interesting. Maybe I should try that too as our house is very dusty. I wonder if this is just our desert climate and nothing can be done or if the filter choice really makes a big impact. Thanks.

You're not going to get away from all the dust for sure, however, our house got significantly more dusty when we quit using the filters and just put in those fiberglass "ez flow" rock catchers that you can see right through.

We switched back to the highest flow 3M filters and it has helped the dust.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

You're not going to get away from all the dust for sure, however, our house got significantly more dusty when we quit using the filters and just put in those fiberglass "ez flow" rock catchers that you can see right through.

We switched back to the highest flow 3M filters and it has helped the dust.

Furthermore, the fiberglass filters will expose your coils to more dust, negating the initial energy savings and causing potential damage. For a modern residential system, I would stick to a pleated filter with a MERV rating no greater than 8 (MPR 600 in the 3M system). If a higher MERV rating is desired, Honeywell offers these special deep pleated filters that can fit in an existing return air register, which allow higher MERV ratings with less restriction of air flow than a standard one inch thick pleated filter.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

Interesting. Maybe I should try that too as our house is very dusty. I wonder if this is just our desert climate and nothing can be done or if the filter choice really makes a big impact. Thanks.

my air guy told me it makes no difference. Like with most things you are paying for the hype/brand name. Just like some people really think monster cables are better than the ones you get at monoprice.

[YAZ]

Oh heck....I might as well say it....

We save the big bucks by using the swamp cooler.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I just had an A/C guy come over to check out my units before it gets hot out and he took one look at the filters I was using in my house (A/C & Heating filters) and said they are way too restrictive and costing me $800-$1000 extra a year in energy costs. I've been using the expensive ones that are supposed to filter the air. He said I need to use the cheap "EZ Flow" ones that allow the proper air to move through the system and will do a much better job cooling and heating my home.

Just swapped them out and I'll let you know if it makes any difference over the summer but wanted to pass it on and see if anyone else had information on this?

That's interesting! We just had an APS energy audit and after all the tests we were told the exact same thing. We were told to get the absolute cheapest filters, the green things in brown cardboard and use those. We did so and can tell the difference in air volume through the returns. No more whistling or filters slapping up when the system turns on in those stupid ceiling grates.
I am going to install a whole house filter system though. It has a large accordion filer that lasts from 6 months to a year and a remote indicator when it's time to change it. This will allow proper high flow AND filter the dust/pollen out of the air. We've had this in one other home we owned and it worked great!
Cost is about $200 per housing and $200-$300 for installation as new sheet metal has to be made up to mount them.
Honeywell was one company we looked at but there are others.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by jimj

That's interesting! We just had an APS energy audit and after all the tests we were told the exact same thing. We were told to get the absolute cheapest filters, the green things in brown cardboard and use those. We did so and can tell the difference in air volume through the returns. No more whistling or filters slapping up when the system turns on in those stupid ceiling grates.
I am going to install a whole house filter system though. It has a large accordion filer that lasts from 6 months to a year and a remote indicator when it's time to change it. This will allow proper high flow AND filter the dust/pollen out of the air. We've had this in one other home we owned and it worked great!
Cost is about $200 per housing and $200-$300 for installation as new sheet metal has to be made up to mount them.
Honeywell was one company we looked at but there are others.

As I stated, by using fiberglass filters, you are exposing your coils to more dust, and in the long run, those energy savings will be lost and your coils could potentially be damaged. Many technicians won't tell you this fact, and the reason is likely for them to make some cash on repairing your system. If you don't believe me, go ask the experts at hvac-talk.com. The filter in the return air register is not just to clean the air; it also is to protect your coils, and fiberglass filters are very poor at this job. A pleated filter with a MERV rating no greater than 8 should have sufficient air flow for a modern residential builders grade system, while the Honeywell deep pleated filters should be used if a higher MERV rating is desired.

[Juram]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

I don't know why, since that is totally not the case with modern HVAC systems which are designed for MERV 6-12 filters. Unless your system is over 25 years old, don't use the fiberglass filters. If your system is over 15 years old, a fiberglass filter may work fine, but pleated filters with a MERV rating lower than 8 is optimal.

Moderator cut: snip

Trust me, I am not making this information up. You will NOT save energy using a fiberglass filter on a modern HVAC system, and you may actually spend more money frequently replacing filters.

I agree with this. I've been told the same. Don't spring for the high end expensive filters because they won't work optimally with most residential A/C systems, but the cheap, bottom of the barrel ones tend to get clogged up insanely fast, so yeah, they're cheap to replace but you're going to need to replace them a lot quicker than one that may cost a few more bucks but will be more price-effective in the long run.

[yukon]

Can't help with the A/C filter issue, I have a swamp cooler, but to address the dust filtering issue - I started using HEPA filter air purifiers in the apartment about 2 months ago and it's made a HUGE difference in the dust I'm seeing. Used to be after about 3 days, everything was coated. Now I'm not seeing noticeable dust for at least a week between cleanings (and I have a lot of black and dark surfaces so it shows). The trick is to get the right size units for the rooms. I have 3, two small for the bedrooms and a very large one for the great room/kitchen/dining room (about 15'x25'). They make a huge difference in the dust, and my power bill has not noticeably increased.

[cactusland]

Sorry, I like the thicker filters. You can tell the air quality difference immediately between them. You have to replace them you know, you can't leave them in for months.

[kell490]

I think the biggest issue with the heavy 3m pleated filter is people don't change them soon enough which loads up the return air in a couple of weeks. These filters are catching way more dust then a normal filter so even once a month may not be enough.